China to conduct military drill in SE coastal areas

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- China will conduct a military exercise in its southeast coastal areas starting July 29, the Ministry of National Defense announced on Sunday.

The maneuver, which is part of the Chinese armed forces' routine training, is important for testing combat capability and improving real-combat training levels and military preparation, the ministry said in a statement.

Both military and civil aviation management authorities have taken measures to minimize the exercise's impact on civil flights by opening temporary air routes, allocating protection airspace, and setting down alternative deviation plans, according to the statement.

Military exercises only have a limited impact on civil aviation, it said, adding that they are not the major factor behind recent flight delays, which were mainly the result of meteorological conditions.

The armed forces have been taking measures to cut military activities' influence on civil aviation in recent years and will continue to do so in the future, according to the statement.